The derivatives burden

Former International Petroleum Exchange official Chris Cook looks at the issues raised at a debate on the future of the European energy markets at the end of London’s Derivatives Week event. The regulatory burden on firms took centre stage

It was a bit of a waste really. On a sultry mid-June afternoon, at the end of London’s Derivatives Week event, a panel of market experts pondered the future of on- and off-exchange energy derivatives before a torpid audience. “It’s just as well the press aren’t here,” joked one of the panellists in a provocative bid to rouse the audience from its lethargy. Nevertheless, it was one of those days when a potent brew emerges from an eclectic mix of ingredients.

A quick warm-up discussion